Phase 094: 2nd October to 11th December 2009
Here we are sitting in the office on radio
duty, reminiscing over our time here at the
beloved Pez Maya. It has been an eventful
10 weeks, to say the least, and every minute
has been full of excitement and fun. From
power ballad karaoke in the kitchen, to
frolicking with the fishes, to dancing with a
pod of dolphins, we have a load of memories
to take home with us.
We think back to our first meeting at the
Hotel Colorado in Playa del Carmen and
remember the first awkward yet enthusiastic
introductions to our new family. Little did
we know that by the end of our time here, we
would become extremely close to these
strangers. Riding in the collectivo to base
was full of random conversation – everything
from possum gigging (who knows what that
is…) to bacon-flavoured toothpicks to fire
dancing, and of course questions about what
the next ten weeks were to entail.
As we arrived at base, we were greeted by
the lovely staff and introduced to what would
become our new home. The mozzies were
persistent in getting to know us quite
personally and the heat was nothing short of
blazing. Yet we were all full of jittery
excitement, well happy to be in paradise.
The first two weeks were packed full of
learning, learning, learning. Coral and fish
tutorials drilled the target species into our
heads, with catchy phrases to help us
remember them (Cop of a feel of Nathan,
anyone? Get it…Colpophyllia natans…
hehe). Lectures on the Sian Ka’an
Biosphere Reserve, coral reef ecology, fish
anatomy and threats to the reef helped us
learn more about the beautiful ecosystem
we were now living and diving in
everyday.
A typical day started with 6 am wake up
call to hut duties - readying the boats,
communal clean up (i.e. emptying the poo
bag and cleaning up everyone’s….stuff),
raking the grounds, or the favourite kitchen
duty, when everyone aspired to earn the
sought-after Michelin Star! After scarfing
down breakfast, BOAT PUSH was called,
which always got the heart pumping.
Diving began bright and early at 7:15 to
ensure everyone two dives a day.
Hammock napping, coral and fish reviews,
data entry and compressor duty filled the
down time until lunch, when – yay! - we
got to satisfy our ravenously hungry
stomachs yet again. For those of you
thinking that you may trim a few pounds,
be forewarned…it ain’t gonna happen. The
afternoons were filled with more naps and,
if you were feeling really ambitious, yoga
or a run on the beach. The day was the ocean. The
completed with mood music and a lovely weekend was
dinner. And of course, give us this day, our completed with
daily briefing and forgive us our safety a baby turtle
trespasses, as we forgive those who don’t put release in
their dive gear away. Amen. Akumal on
Sunday. It was
The weekends a busy yet fun
were a source of weekend and we all had a good time
great fun, with getting off base and interacting with the
everyone anxious local community.
to have a day and
a half off after Other community work, for those who were
working hard all interested, included teaching English to the
week. We kids who live in Punta Allen, a fishing
particularly town about an hour away, or the army, who
looked forward to came to visit base periodically. Twice a
Saturday nights, week, those teaching the kids would take
when the staff the bumpy journey down the road to arrive
cooked delicious to screaming children excited for their
food with, yes, meat!!! These nights were lesson.
always assigned a theme by our social We
coordinators, with Disney characters and 80s
night the favourites. Somehow, despite the
lack of clothing options, everyone got
creative and really dressed it up. Sundays
were usually spent hanging out on base,
going cavern diving in cenotes to see the
amazing stalactites and stalagmites, or riding
bikes around the impressive Mayan ruins of
Cobá and Tulum. The Americans also quickly learned how much they loved
particularly enjoyed teaching the Brits how drawing and playing Bulldog…hopefully
to celebrate both Halloween and some of the English we taught them will
Thanksgiving, two holidays which can never stick. Those working with the army had
afford to be forgotten. Thanksgiving turned the opportunity to teach them phrases such
out to be one of the few times everyone said as “Put your hands up!” “Step out of the
they were stuffed at Pez Maya…we think it vehicle,” “Do you have any weapons or
was a success! drugs?” and “Can I search the car?”
The army was also good for a few games of
A unique experience to our phase was the 7th beach volleyball, and let’s face it, even
Annual Turtle Festival that occurred in with Pez Maya
Tulum the second week of phase. As a rules we’re pretty
group, we came up with educational games sure they kicked
to teach kids about turtle conservation, and our you-know-
volunteered over the weekend at various whats.
events. These included a Friday night Remember, when
festival, Saturday beach clean and sand in doubt, the
castle competition on the beautiful Tulum score is always 7-
beach, and extravagant performance 7.
chronicling the journey from turtle nest to
A highlight of the trip for many was the rare
incidental sighting of (drum roll, please…)
DOLPHINS!! Yes, 12 lucky few of us got
the privilege of boating and diving with a
pod of about 12 dolphins, a rare experience
here at Pez Maya. Other creatures we got to
see on occasion included boa constrictors,
crocodiles, stingrays, eels, turtles, and
sharks. One that we saw most often was the
southern stingray, which can get 2-3 meters
long.
They
like to
hide
themselves in the sand, so keep your bananas
peeled! When the lagoon opened, several
people saw bull sharks in action, swimming
across the early morning horizon as they
were hunting for their breakfast. Turtles
were also an exciting sight, particularly when
we went snorkelling to the reef offshore.
The end of phase has been full of
monitoring, and with everyone’s hard work
we’ve nearly managed to complete five
monitor sites! The five divemaster
candidates are also busy finishing their
training, and will be complete by the time
phase is over. Everyone is beginning to
think about the luxuries of home that they
have been away from for so long, and is
anxious return with Christmas around the
corner. The talk of Christmas cookies,
mince pies, and roast dinners has kept our
mouths watering and the thought of being
wrapped up by a warm fire is a welcome
change to the uncharacteristic heat that
makes up a Pez Maya “winter.” Yet we
will all be sad to go, to leave this base that
has become our home and the great friends
we have made during these amazing ten
weeks. Thanks to all the staff for their hard
work to keep things running and the
expedition members who made this an
unforgettable experience. We love you all!